I still cannot quite express the emotions I am feeling as I
reflect on the news I just received ... that my younger sister, Lydia, has
submitted her mission papers and will be awaiting her call. When I read it, I
just began to cry ... tears of joy ran down my cheeks as I thought about how incredible
an opportunity it is for my sweet sister. My mission here in Belgium and France
has proved to be such a sweet and spiritual journey. I have changed and grown
in ways I can’t even begin to explain. The people I have met and my profound
spiritual experiences have impacted my life in more ways that I will ever be
able to understand or communicate. I know the Lord answers prayers. I know He
has a specific plan for each of us and that if we simply ask Him for counsel or
guidance, that He will direct our paths and never lead us astray. I know Lydia
will be a powerful servant of the Lord and I will be waiting anxiously to hear
about where she is going!
On another note, I want to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Sadly, this great day of feasting and family is not celebrated here in France,
but all of the missionaries are getting together and we are doing something
special to celebrate. Soeur Hill and I have made it a goal this week to only
say prayers of gratitude. It is incredible to see how many blessings you begin
to recognize when you start listing them off. I love the scripture found in the
Book of Mormon in Alma 34:38; "Live in thanksgiving daily, for the many
mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." While Thanksgiving
is a wonderful time to reflect on our many blessings, I have truly discovered
on my mission that when we take more time each day to be grateful for the
things we DO have, we forget the things we DON’T have. I know showing gratitude
to our Heavenly Father and those around us each day brings us the most
happiness.
On Sunday, two couples from Syracuse, Utah were visiting our ward. They
came up to us and asked us where we were from and how we were doing. They are
members of the church who are on vacation here in Paris. It was neat being able
to talk with them, and each of the women gave me a "momma hug"! It
was cool because they each said they had children serving missions around the
world and I really felt like I was able to get a hug from home. As I was
talking with them, I noticed two key things. First, how absolutely terrible my
English has gotten to be at times, and second, how much my mission truly has
blessed my life. They kept firing question after question about the life of a
missionary and I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear as I told them it has
been the best experience of my LIFE. I know the Lord has changed my heart and
continues to push me to become the woman He needs me to be.
After a busy day at church on Sunday we were headed home for our
lunch break. After the 10 minute walk to the metro, we went down the stairs and
into the metro station. Out of nowhere my stomach dropped and I said to Soeur
Hill, "Oh no, something is not right ... I think I forgot something."
She turned to me and said she had the same feeling. We shuffled through our
purses and didn’t see anything we were forgetting. Then we decided that there
is a reason we feel this way, so maybe we are supposed to find someone and we
better head back to the church. As we began the long walk back to the church,
thoughts began to enter our minds. “What are we doing? We didn’t forget
anything.” I was scanning up and down the streets in search of the person we
were supposed to find. Then Soeur Hill turned to me and said, "It’s weird
because I feel like we were supposed to come back, but I don’t want to waste
our time." Without even thinking, the following words left my lips,
"It’s never a waste of time when you are following a prompting."
After I said it, I knew the phrase was not my own. It was the Spirit
that guided my thoughts, because once I heard myself say it, it was as if I had
just learned a profound lesson. When we are prompted by the Holy Ghost to act,
we must ACT … no matter how busy we might think we are or how inconvenient we
think it might be.
We picked up our pace and continued further down the road, and
passed the church to find an elderly, African woman outside a convenience store,
smoking. I approached her and introduced myself. Her name was LiLou. As we
began to talk she told us that she was very believing and that she truly knew
that Christ was her Savior. It was in that moment that I knew we had come back
to talk with her. We later discovered that she had attended church two
different times and lived down the street. She was a sweet lady, but was very
set in her own beliefs. We ended up teaching and talking with her for 30
minutes and ended our discussion with a prayer. I don’t know if we will be able
to meet with her again, but in that moment I was so grateful for that chance I
had to testify of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. I know the Lord
blesses us when we follow spiritual promptings.
Our amies are continuing to progress. Ammara has been going through
a lot lately and she thinks it might be better to push back her baptismal date
until December 22nd. Please continue to keep her in your prayers! We
are still working with Samia and her family but they have been a bit busy
lately. It has also been amazing to see how many people we are finding through
the less-active members! We had a really cool experience with a young woman
named Aymmeline! We saw her name on the ward list and called and set up an
appointment with her. She is a beautiful French woman, only 22 years old but
has a baby girl. After talking with her, we discovered she wasn’t a member at
all! She was only on the ward list because she was blessed in the church as a
baby! Her mom was home during the lesson and was very touched when we sang
"Be Still My Soul". In the middle of the lesson, their friend, who also
lives in the apartment, came into the room and sat in on the lesson, listening
intently. So we ended up finding three new amies to teach! They are super
excited to learn more and were in tears as we testified of Christ and how our
message truly will bless them in their lives. Another family we are teaching!!!
Please continue to pray for the sweet people affected by the typhoon
in the Philippines. This past Sunday at church, we were talking with Emy, a
woman from our ward, and she was telling us about all of the damage and
destruction over there. She is Filipino, and has many of her family members
over there and she has been so worried about them. Luckily all of the
missionaries were safe and accounted for, but there are still so many people
suffering and searching for loved ones. My heart goes out to those people there
and, while we may not be able to do big things to help, we can always make the
time to pray for them.
I know that we are not expected to be perfect, as missionaries or as
people. The Lord expects our heart and our best efforts to follow and accept His
will. "Your calling is not to be 'successful' in all things; your calling
is to be faithful in all things." No matter how hard the trial, no matter
how long the wait, the Lord will carry us through. I know He is by our side,
because He has been by mine. We must remain faithful to the end; and there is
no better way to do that than being grateful and happy!
Thank you for your prayers. The work is accelerating and we truly
are seeing miracles here in the France Paris Mission. When we believe in
miracles, they happen. I love you all and wish you a wonderful week of
gratitude and thanksgiving!
Soeur Madeline Vance